SMLR Students Use Lessons On HR Strategy To Compete In External Case Competition

On April 19-21, Four students from Rutgers School of Management and Labor Relations (SMLR)’ master of human resource management (MHRM) program put their knowledge of human resource strategy to the test by participating in the 2012 Master of Labor and Human Resources External Case Competition held at the

Fisher College of Business at The Ohio State University. Attendees included MHRM students Johan Francois from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, Bao Nguyenfrom Marlboro, N.J., Austen Eadie-Friedmannfrom Jersey City, N.J., and Morenike Syllafrom North Brunswick, N.J., as well as MHRM Program Director and Professor David Feriofrom Westfield, N.J.

“The competition provides phenomenal visibility for our students and the MHRM program. Our students were able to use what they learned from our program to solve real, business-specific problems,” says Professor David Ferio, director of the MHRM program.

Throughout the two-day event, MHRM students competed against students from several U.S. HR programs, including Cornell’s Industrial and Labor Relations (ILR) School, the University of Illinois, The Ohio State University, and the University of Minnesota. Each team was tasked with analyzing Eaton Corporation’s global leadership and proposing a strategy on how to bridge Eaton’s talent gap in engineering. SMLR’s MHRM students presented to Eaton’s executives and finished strongly in the event, ranking among the top group of competitors.

"Participating in the Ohio State Case competition was the highlight of my final year at Rutgers. The competition was fierce, and although we did not win, the experience alone was well worth the time and energy we put in," says Austen Eadie-Friedmann, who graduated from the MHRM this past spring and resides in Jersey City, NJ.

Johan Francois, a student from Port-au-Prince, Haiti, also participated in the competition. He says, "It was a honor to represent Rutgers and participate in the Ohio State Case Competition. It was such an exciting experience to go up against the top young minds in HR, an experience I will never forget!"